Wolverines Ink Three to National Letters of Intent
11/11/2021 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's basketball head coach Kim Barnes Arico announced the signing of Kate Clarke (Carmel, Ind.), Alyssa Crockett (Westfield, Ind.) and Chyra Evans (Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia) to National Letters of Intent Thursday (Nov. 11).
"We are really excited about the addition of these three to our program," Barnes Arico said. "This is another class that gives us length and versatility on both ends of the floor. In our game, which is now changing to positionless basketball, I think these three can really have an impact for us. They all three can shoot ball exceptionally well from the outside, can go inside and handle the ball. They are going to give us great length on the defensive end and the ability to do a lot of different things offensively."
Kate Clarke
Clarke, a 6-1 guard from Carmel, Ind., averaged 18.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a junior for the Greyhounds en route to being named to the all-state third team. She was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star Team, selected to the 2021 IBCA Supreme 15 Underclass team, the Hamilton County Reporter All-County Team and is rated as the No. 3 senior in the state by Prep Girls Hoops. Clarke went for 31 points against Noblesville in last season's sectional title game, helping the Greyhounds finish the season with a 15-7 overall record and a No. 9 ranking. Clarke is a four-star recruit and the No. 99-ranked player in the class by ESPN. She played AAU for Indiana Elite and comes from the same high school as current Wolverine Amy Dilk.
"I have had an opportunity to watch Kate Clarke for a long time because of also recruiting Amy Dilk and having her in our program," Barnes Arico said. "When you watch Kate Clarke on the basketball court, she is just so smooth with everything she does. You think of Carmel High School, which has a tremendous basketball program where she has had a lot of success. She has such a high basketball IQ. She is a 6-1 kid who really shoots it well, moves well with and without the ball. She can give us another great option from three-point range with her ability to stretch the defense."
"The University of Michigan is undeniably at the top of the Big Ten in athletics and academics," Clarke said. "There's no question about Michigan's impressive reputation, but that wasn't the biggest reason why I chose it. There were lots of schools that also had great reputations and nice people at them. The biggest reason was the people I got to know and the way they made me feel at home. The coaches, the players; I can't wait to play and win with them!"
Alyssa Crockett
Crockett, a 6-2 forward from Westfield, Ind., averaged 17.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a junior, helping Westfield to the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship and a No. 10 ranking. She is the No. 2-ranked senior in the state by Prep Girls Hoops and is ranked No. 48 in the class by ESPN as a four-star recruit. Crockett was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star Team, to the 2021 IBCA Supreme 15 Underclass team and to the Hamilton County Reporter All-County Team. Crockett recently topped the 1,000-point mark for her career after scoring 17 points in a Westfield win over Pendleton Heights (Nov. 6). She played AAU for Indiana Elite.
"When I think about Alyssa, I just think about versatility," Barnes Arico said. "She is so versatile with her ability to play multiple positions. She can impact the game from the four spot, as well as the wing spot. She really has a nose for the basketball and a great motor. She is an amazing rebounder and that is something that we are definitely going to need moving forward. She shoots the three really well, can play inside and out. She is a great teammate who plays with a ton of energy. She and Kate (Clarke) played together for the same AAU program and Tony Marlin, where Maddie (Nolan), Emily (Kiser) and Amy (Dilk) also played."
"I chose the University of Michigan from an athletic standpoint because I felt so welcomed and at home with all the girls on the team," Crockett said. "The coaching staff gave constant support and saw a vision in my future. Academically, it was a perfect fit because of my intended major in the medical field. With these two things, it provides me with the best opportunity to succeed. An even bigger reason is that the school is close to home and makes it easy for my family to travel and see me a little more often."
Chyra Evans
Evans, a 6-2 forward from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, helped Australia to the silver medal at the FIBA U19 World in the summer of 2021. She averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game at the event, going for eight points and three rebounds in the final against the United States. She led New South Wales to an Under 20 Australian Junior Championship gold medal earlier this year, averaging 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as the tournament's top scorer. For her efforts, she was also named MVP of the tournament. Evans is currently playing for the Sydney Uni Flames of the WNBL
"We loved having the opportunity to watch Chyra play in the FIBA U19 World Championships this past summer," Barnes Arico said. "She comes from a basketball family, her mom is a coach and she grew up with the basketball in her hands. She plays for an unbelievable team where she can face up or go down low. She has a toughness and edge about her that I think will be very important for us moving forward. She is a super-high IQ player. Anytime you have an opportunity to play international basketball against grown women, that really helps advance your game. She is going to have the opportunity to continue to do that in the offseason as she plays this year in the WNBL."
"The main thing that drew me to the University of Michigan was how real the coaching staff and girls were," Evans said. "Coach Arico and her staff were just purely amazing through the whole recruiting process. They wanted to get to know my parents, along with my brothers, and I really respected that. They were also there from the start and stayed in contact with me through the process. Along with that, I did my research, so I watched games from the NCAA tournament. I saw how much the girls respect Coach Arico, how well the girls connect with one another and that made me want to be a part of it. I just purely think the culture that is built at Michigan is second to none, and definitely was something that I wasn't going to give up!"
Clarke, Crockett and Evans will join the Wolverines for the 2022-23 season.
